BBC staff caught yawning, hugging and playing with 'lightsabers' in open-plan newsroom

BBC viewers complain of "distracting" open-plan office after serious news bulletins were accompanied by members of staff hugging, yawning and pretending their umbrellas are lightsabers in the background

Staff previously labelled their new offices a "bear pit" and complained that they feel like "pandas in a zoo". Some have called for the glass to be opaque, after predicting that inappropriate behaviour would be caught on camera as serious stories were being discussed in the studio.

BBC News moved to the exposed setting in London's Broadcasting House from its previous home in the capital, Television Centre, in March.

The ultra-modern extension to the famous 1932 art-deco building was designed by architect Sir Richard MacCormac.